Ability to get along with others and interpersonal skills
What is interpersonal communication? Interpersonal skills are often misconceived as being the same thing as communication skill sets but they are very different. In any industry that works with other people or customers, strong interpersonal skills are a valuable asset. The term interpersonal skills is directly related to how we interact with others.
It's not just about communication but rather about interpersonal interaction as a whole. This diverts back to body language, emotional intelligence, people skills, eye contact, non verbal cues, and verbal communication as a whole. You can see interpersonal skill defined as a communication process that uses thoughts, feelings, emotions, and ideas to exchange thoughts and process conversation. When you look at interpersonal skills in relation to an office environment, you get a clear picture of the ability to work together as team members and reduce conflict management in the process. Difference between interpersonal skills and communication skill Interpersonal communication is primarily related to the verbal form of contact. On the same note, we should point out that communication is not just about you talking but also about your listening skills as well. How well do you listen and build relationships? One should be able to communicate effectively in the workplace with colleagues, employers, and other workplace personnel as well. The key difference in important interpersonal differentiation as opposed to communication is that interpersonal skills make it more personal. While interpersonal skills include being able to host a formative conversation, interpersonal communication skills are primarily about the conversation in general. Good interpersonal skills will be more about the bigger picture in any item of communication. Interpersonal skills are set apart to include nonverbal cues from simple eye contact to body language and even lack of response in these areas.
​What are Interpersonal Skills?
Interpersonal skills is a broad category that includes the following
- Communication
- Social skills
- People skills
- Soft skill sets
- Life skills
Interpersonal skills are used as part of communication but they do not define communication in relationships just as public speaking skill will not define your ability to be a good communicator. These skills are about interacting with people on multiple levels - whether you're in an industry that is customer-facing or you're working with teams on an internal level.
Why are interpersonal skills important?
Interpersonal skills are social skills compiled and used for all relationships. While we are mentioning the workplace in detail here and primarily taking that focus, keep in mind that these skills are used in your personal life as well. Improving your interpersonal skills will play a role in every aspect of your life and relationships. Each interaction is impacted with these technical skills of interpersonal relationships. You can maintain and manage a professional image as well as develop effectively with that outside of your career workforce. It all comes back to how you interact with others. If you hone your skills using feedback and practice, you will do far better at developing lasting foundations with clients, employees, and other interactions in your life.
Common interview questions about interpersonal skills
You will find that employees are often asked questions in interviews to help determine whether they fit the interpersonal skills needed for the business. Most jobs require some form of interpersonal interaction and you have to be able to get along with both clients and employees on the job. Here are some examples of common interview questions that might be looking for interpersonal skill within the workplace. They include problem-solving as well as the ability to listen and work with colleagues and customers alike.
1. Describe a time in which you had to communicate to a workplace team member about something you disagreed with and how you resolved the conflict.
2. Can you provide examples of a time in which you had an angry customer and how you diffused the situation.
3. If you were part of a team project, how would you handle conflict within the team with your colleagues to ensure the project was not negatively affected?
These are some prime examples of how to communicate on a more personal level. You can't determine someone's skills based on a resume or job application so it is important to effectively discuss the aspects of interpersonal skills in order to determine how effectively you might handle some of the more challenging aspects of building relationships.
Strong Interpersonal skills examples
When it comes to measuring interpersonal skills, we all fall into different levels. It is safe to say that some people will be stronger in some areas than others. However, we all have the ability to develop and improve our interpersonal skills if we are willing to do so. It starts with being familiar with the key concepts in order to build on those interpersonal communication skills as a whole.
Active listening
Listening is more than just hearing the words coming out of someone's mouth. You don't listen with the intention of responding but rather listen to hear what they have to say. Active listening means you're not forming your own response in your head while the other party is still talking. With active listening, you will pay attention to things like tone of voice, the word choices in the conversation, the body language if they are in front of you, and every detail of what the person is trying to tell you. Engage in listening to the details and then use that to engage with others involved in the conversation. The key here is you're not interrupting or speaking over the others but truly listening and engaging.
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Solve the following practice exercises!